Contractor's Picks: The Bathroom Products Worth Every Penny (and 4 to Skip)

The brands and fixtures I specify after hundreds of bathroom renovations — and the ones I've watched fail too many times to recommend.

After completing hundreds of bathroom renovations, certain patterns emerge: specific products that hold up for decades and specific ones that I've replaced more times than I can count. Here's my honest product tier list — the things I spec without hesitation, the decent budget options, and the things I steer clients away from regardless of price.

Toilets

This is the highest daily-use fixture in the house and one of the most poorly specified. Builders use the cheapest toilet they can find. That toilet will have a weak flush, a flapper that fails every 18 months, and a fill valve that hums. The upgrade cost is $150–$400 and the quality difference is enormous.

Toto is the clear leader in flush performance and longevity. Their Tornado Flush technology is genuinely superior to anything else on the market in the same price range. The Toto Drake ($350–$450) is the one I recommend most often — it's not glamorous but it's been performing at the same level for decades.

Shower Valves and Faucets

The shower valve is behind your wall and you'll never see it again. This is not the place to save money. A failed valve body means tearing out tile. Kohler Rite-Temp and Moen Posi-Temp are the two valves I trust. Moen's lifetime warranty is genuine — they will send a replacement part free, no questions, forever.

Contractor Tips

• Toto toilets outperform everything else at their price point. The Toto Drake is the contractor's go-to for good reason — excellent flush, durable innards, widely serviced.
• Moen and Kohler shower valves have lifetime warranties that they actually honor. This matters when the valve is behind tile. Delta and Price Pfister are acceptable second choices.
• Schluter KERDI is the waterproofing membrane system I install in every shower. Not a brand preference — a performance standard. If your tiler proposes something else, ask why.